Valve means



D. H. JONES Aug. 2o, 196s VALVE MEANS Filed Occ. 20, 1965 INVNIOR. A w A( Ms BY ATTORNEY S F/a. ,l

3,397,718 VALVE MEANS David H. Jones, Port St. Joe, Fla., assignor to Beloit Corporation, Jones Division, Beloit, Wis. Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,899 5 Claims. (Cl. 137-605) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pressure vessel having a Valve member exteriorly positioned of a conduit and including a body forming a peripheral beveled edge facing away from the vessel with a delivery pipe within the valve member such that the pipe moves from a retracted position to an extended position interior of the valve. The valve member also has a conical body disposed in the path of liquids entering the vessel for scattering liquids. Also included in the device is a valve mounting means to move the valve member, a material delivery means and the aforementioned conduit.

This invention relates to a valve means and more particularly to a capping valve construction for use primarily in combination with a digester or other similar pressure vessel, and constitutes an improvement over my copending lapplication Ser. No. 331,704, now U.S. Patent 3,326,235, filed Dec. 18, 1963, which is incorporated herein by reference.

As outlined in the aforementioned application, the paper industry utilizes large pressure vessels known as digesters for working down the cellulose fibers for the production of pulp. Conventional digesters utilize a capping means consisting of a blind flange with T-bolts releasibly secured thereto which must be removed to refill the vessel with wood chips and liquor7 after each cooking operation. After the blind fiange is reattached to the pressure vessel in order to cook newly inserted raw materials.

The aforementioned application discloses means for inserting liquid and the solid material into an enclosed pressure vessel around a valve reciprocably mounted in an upstanding neck. Accordingly, a digester may be filled with wood chips and liquor without requiring the removal of a fiange, thus materially diminishing the time and effort expended in recharging a vessel.

It has been found that the injection of solid particles and liquids into an enclosed vessel through a hopper leading to a single opening results in blow back of a portion of the liquid through the hopper. It is believed that this blow back is a result of trapping a quantity of air within the vessel which becomes slightly compressed because of a lack of an exiting aperture. After the trapped air is slightly compressed, it bursts through the inlet opening expelling a substantial quantity of liquor from within the vessel. neck and hopper onto the surrounding working area. Since Various chemical solutions are utilized in the digestion process, such as sulfur dioxide dissolved in calcium bisulte or m-agnesium bisulfite, sodium hydroxide, or other similar chemicals, it will be readily apparent that the expulsion of liquor from the vessel will be corrosive to surrounding machinery, inimical to the health of workers either through direct contact with the liquor or inhalation of the fumes thereof, and damages to the morale of workers who must always keep one eye on the pressure vessel. It is an object of the instant invention to provide a valve means which will eliminate the need for manpower and tools normally required to remove the flange when filling a digester thereby reducing the cost of the digestion process.

United States Patent O "ice Another object of the instant invention is to provide a capping valve means having few moving parts without the use of a bonnet including stem packing glands, which normally leaks under pressure, thereby reducing the cost of maintenance.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a valve means having a valve plug which utilizes pressure from within the digester to promote a tight seal thereby reducing the hazard of the valve being accidentally opened while the digester is operating at an increased pressure.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide means for injecting solid particles and liquid into an enclosed pressure vessel in such a manner as to prevent blow back of the liquid and solid components.

A still -f-urther object of the instant invention is to provide a valve means for closing a pressure vessel through which liquids and solids may be injected and which is so constructed and arranged as to prevent compressed air from within the Vessel from expelling a portion of the Iinjected components.

A more specific object of the instant invention is to provide a valve means for closing a pressure vessel including means for injecting a liquid component interiorly of the vessel as opposed to merely injecting a liquid through an opening therein.

Another more specific object of the instant invention is to provide valve means for selectively closing an opening in a pressure vessel through which liquids and solid particles may be injected such that the solid particles overlie the liquid components.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention, as well as the invention itself, reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction and operation, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical, cross-sectional view showing a portion -of a digester or other pressure vessel having a valve means constructed in accordance with the principles of the instant invention in combination therewith, the closed position of the valve being illustrated in lsolid lines with the open position being shown in dashed lines;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal transverse cross-sectional view of the device of FIGURE 1 taken substantially along line 2 2 thereof viewing in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the connection between a conical shaped valve and a liquid delivery tube illustrating a liquid delivery outlet juxtaposed to the valve; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connection ybetween the liquid carrying tube and valve taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 viewing in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like reference characters designate like elements throughout the several views thereof, there is indicated generally at 10 a digester unit having as its major components a digester indicated generally at 12 in material receiving relation with a hopper for delivering solid particles and liquids thereto interiorly of which is positioned a valve and valve actuating means designated generally at 16. As will be explained more f=ully hereinafter, a stream of solid particles and liquid -will be injected through hopper 14 when valve and valve actuating means 116 is located in the dotted line position of FIGURE 1 such that the materials will pass into digester 10 where the digestion process will be conducted with valve and val-ve actuating means 16 being retracted to the solid line position.

Digester 12 includes a closed pressure containing wall 18 forming an opening 20 about which is xedly mounted an upstanding annular wall 22 forming a neck. Neck 22 may be secured to wall 18 by a curve peripheral apertured plate 24 with welds 26 securing plate 24 to walls 18, 22. Communicating with the interior of digester 12 is a gas bleed connection 28 forming an opening 30 therethrough and secured to neck 22 by welds 32. The upper edge of neck 22 forms a circumferential groove 33 which is useful in providing a pressure `tight seal as will be more fully explained hereinafter. Wood chips and liquor will be injected into digester 12 Where the cooking operation will take place with the resulting vapors escaping through connection 28. As may 'be seen in the aforementioned application, a condensing screen may be positioned within neck 22 to preclude the loss of solid particles through opening 30 and to partially condense vapors passing therethrough.

Hopper 14 includes a cylindrical casing 34 forming an interior passageway 36 and is connected to an adaptor indicated generally at 38 by a circumferential iiange 40 providing a plurality of apertures 42 through which releasable connecting means, such as screws, bolts or the like may be inserted. Adaptor 38 includes a frusto-conical wall 44 providing a passageway 46 communicating with passageway 36 of cylind-rical casing 34 and connected thereto by a circumferential flange 48 providing apertures 50 coaxial with apertures 42.

The lower end of adaptor 38 includes a circumferential flange 52 integral with wall 44 and secured to neck 22 by a connecting means shown generally at 54. Connecting means 54 includes an annular plate 56 forming female threads for receiving a plurality of metal screws 58 securing flange 52, adaptor 38 thereto. Plate 56 forms a beveled edge 60 facing toward digester 12 above a circumferential vertical wall 61 and a circumferential rib 62 received in groove 33 of neck 22. An annular flange 64 is frxedly secured, as by welds `66, about the upper edge of neck 22 with flange 52, annular plate 56 and annular flange 64 cooperating to form a plurality of openings l66 therethrough for receiving releasable connecting means of any conventional ty-pe, although it should be understood that flange 52, annular plate 56, and annular flange `64 may be connected together in a manner similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned application. It should be apparent that connecting means 58 secures hopper 14 and digester 12 together in pressure tight relation with the use of suitable gasket material in -groove 33 being usable if the metal-to-rnetal seal is not sufficient.

Valve and valve actuating means 16 includes an elongate tubular housing 68 closed about its upper end by a cap 70 and xedly mounted interiorly of casing 34 by a plurality of brackets 72. The lower end of housing 68 communicates with a tubular conduit 74 extending through casing 34 and secured thereto by suitable welds 76 and forming a passageway 78. As will be emphasized more fully hereafter, a hopper or other delivery conduit may be secured to the upper end of casing 34 Ifor delivering a stream of wood chips or other solid particles through the conduit formed by casing 34, adaptor 38, connecting means 54 and neck 22 into the interior of digester 12 with the liquid component being delivered through passageway 78.

Fixedly secured interiorly of housing 68 by a transverse plate 80 and a plurality of frictional fasteners 82, such as bolts or the like, is a fluid cylinder designated generally at 84. Cylinder 84 includes a casing 86 forming a longitudinal passageway 88 in fluid communication at each end thereof with a pair of fluid delivery lines 90, 92. Slidably mounted in passageway 88 is a fluid piston 94 secured to 'a shaft 96 projecting through a closing cap 918 at the unsecured terminal end of uid cylinder 84. Suitably received on the termina-l end of shaft 96, and

locked thereon by lock nut 99, is a valve member designated generally at 100.

Valve member includes a substantially conical body forming a beveled peripheral edge 102 facing away from the enclosure formed by -wall 18. Valve member 100 also includes a substantially vertical circumferential edge 104 such that when fluid cylinder 84 retracts valve member 100, beveled peripheral edge 102 will seat against beveled edge 60 with circumferential vertical 'wall 104 residing against vertical wall 61. -It has been found advantageous to utilize a metal-to-metal seal between edges 102, 60 since the O-ring, as disclosed in the aforementioned application, results in the dislodgement of the O-ring upon the reciprocation of valve member 100 because of residual pressure within digester 12. Edges 61, 104 cooperate to form a guide for the sealing of edges 60, 102 as will be apparent from FIGURE 1.

The construction of valve member 100 is completed by a substantially vertical bar 106 integral with the apex of the conical body and depending therefrom carrying a plurality of horizontally extending braces 108 secured, as by welding or the like, to the underside of the conical body. It will be apparent that an undersurface =110 of the conical body also forms a conical surface whereby pressure from the interior of digester 12 may bear thereagainst to increase the sealing relationship between sealing edges 60, 102.

Secured to valve member 100 and constituting a component of the liquid injecting mechanism of the instant invention is a tubular pipe 112 slidably mounted within housing 68. As is readily apparent from FIGURE l, pipe 112 forms a fluid passageway 114 communicating through a pair of openings 116 immediately above valve member 100. The upper end of pipe 112 carries a circumferential sealing means 118 constituting a rigid annular plate 120 affixed to the upper end of pipe 100 with an O-ring 122, or other suitable gasket material, closely surrounding pipe 112 and slightly displaced from the interior of housing 68. Positioned below the junction of conduit 74 and housing 68 is an annular shoulder 124 affixed to housing 68 and spaced slightly from pipe 112. It will be apparent that the extension of shafts 96 of Huid cylinder 84 will propel pipe 112 outwardly of housing 68 with O-ring 122 becoming deformed by engagement With annular ring 120 and shoulder 124.

In the operation of digester unit 10, fluid delivery conduit 74 will be connected to a source of suitable liquid chemicals (not shown) with hopper 14 being connected to a source of ywood chip particles (not shown). After digester 12 is emptied from a previously conducted digestion operation, uid cylinder 84 will be manipulated by the selective injection of uid through delivery line 90 and the withdrawal of uid from delivery line 92 from a conventional pressurized uid source (not shown). The injection of iluid above piston 94 will result in the reciprocation thereof in passageway l88 moving shaft 96 and liquid delivery pipe 112 from the retracted position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1 toward the extended position shown in dashed lines. Valve member 100 moves along with the reciprocable movement of shaft 96 and pipe 112 from the sealing position shown in the solid lines of FIGURE 1 which precludes substantial fluid movement through opening 20 and neck 22 to the dashed line position interiorly of digester 12.

O-ring i122 of sealing means 118 will preclude liuid leakage out of the bottom of housing 68 when pipe 112 is in the extended position such that an attendant may actuate a valve or other suitable liquid delivery control device in order to deliver a suitable chemical solution through conduit 74. Liquids injected into conduit 74 will pass into housing 68 and down fluid delivery passageway 114 of pipe 112 to exit out of openings 116 immediately above valve member 100. Concurrently with the delivery of liquids through conduit 74, an attendant may inject Wood chip particles into hopper 14 such that both liquids and wood chip particles are injected simultaneously into digester 12.

Because of the location of openings 116 and the conical shape of valve member t100, liquids expelled from uid delivery passageway 114 will be scattered and mixed with the wood chip particles passing therearound. It has been found that the occurrences of blow back have been rendered inconsequential by the utilization of the instant invention. There are several factors which are thought to contribute this result, the first being the injection of liquid interiorly of digester 12 as opposed to the injection of liquid through neck 22. This is thought to be important since a substantial quantity of the liquid expelled is thought to reside in neck 22 when a compressed air bu-bble breaks through the injecting material. Since the opening of neck 22 is substantially restricted, the compressed air bubble acts much as a piston for expelling the liquids.

Another factor thought to be important in the reduction of blow back occurrences is the injection of wood chip material above the liquid material. This is thought to be of importance since a compressed air bubble break through results in turbulence ywithin the digester with the wood chips acting to suppress the upward movement of liquids. Another factor thought to be o-f importance in this connection is that the liquid is injected into the digester 12 only along certain segments thereof allowing compressed air movement through the areas not subjected to liquid injection.

It is now seen that there is herein provided an improved valve means which is particularly adapted for use in injecting materials into a pressure vessel, such as digesters utilized in the paper making industry, and which provides all the objects and advantages of the instant invention, including many others of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may |be made of the instant invention, and since many modications may be made of the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that the foregoing is to be interrupted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1. A device comprising: a pressure vessel having at least one opening through -which material may be injected;

means for injecting material into and for sealing said vessel, including a valve member, a valve mounting means, a material delivery means, and means exterior of said vessel forming a conduit;

said valve member being positioned exteriorly o-f said conduit; said valve member including a body forming a peripheral beveled edge facing away from said vessel; said valve member further having a delivery pipe means secured with said valve member, with means housing said pipe for movement `from a retracted position when said valve member seals said opening to an extended position when said valve member is positioned interiorly of said vessel; and

said valve member still further including a substantially conical Ibody disposed in the path of liquids entering said vessel for scattering said liquids; said valve mounting means being positioned interiorly of said conduit and being adapted to move said valve member from a trst position precluding prolonged lluid movement through said opening to a second position interiorly of said vessel, whereby said valve mounting means ricprocates said valve member in a substantially straight predetermined path; and said valve mounting means including a uid cylinder mounted within said housing means, including a piston and a shaft, at least said shaft extends through said pipe and is lixedly connected to said valve;

said material delivery means being positioned interiorly of said conduit and adjacent said valve member for movement therewith, having at least one outlet opening -adjacent said valve member for injecting material into said vessel interiorly of said openin; and

said means exterior of said vessel forming a conduit being positioned in material exchanging relationship with said opening for injecting another material through said opening; said conduit further including a means for forming a liquid passageway communicating through said conduit with said delivery means such that said passageway forming means is in comlmunication -with said delivery pipe means through said housing means when said pipe is in said extended position; and said conduit further forms a peripheral beveled edge facing toward said vessel.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said valve beveled edge are made of a rigid, non-resilient material free from resilient gasket material.

3. The device of claim 1 including seal means cooperating between said pipe and said housing precluding fluid leakage therebetween when said pipe is in said extended position.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said seal means includes a peripherally ymounted gasket secured to said housing in sliding relationship with said pipe.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said delivery means includes at least two oppositely directed openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 691,975 1/ 1902 Schaaf 162-246 X 1,998,875 4/1935 Koda 1162-246 X 2,735,446 2/1956 Boyce 141-302 X 3,263,711 8/1966 Laub 141-40 3,326,235 6/1967 Jones 251-332 X FOREIGN PATENTS 93,001 3/ 1962 Denmark.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

D. H. LAMBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

